NewsLine - June 2011 - (Page 41)

Quarter 2 – 2011 FOCUS ON COMPASSION a quarterly newsletter system as well as a network of rural home based care providers. The idea was to replicate the successful program at Selian Hospice -- including the use of oral morphine for pain. The CHAT project worked with 13 rural ELCT hospital sites. With CHAT funding, teams of nurses and doctors were trained in palliative care – including pain assessment and management. The clinical staff understood the need to have access to oral morphine and was encouraged to apply for permits. Matema Hospital in the Southern Zone persevered in their effort and was successful in obtaining a permit from TFDA in January 2011. A group of key palliative care organizations including Tanzanian Palliative Care Association (TPCA), ORCI, and ELCT Palliative Care program built on this success and scheduled a meeting with TFDA authorities in February 2011. They shared their challenges in obtaining permits for hospitals and were provided with very helpful clarifications about TFDA’s regulatory role and the misconceptions shared among the palliative care providers. Following TFDA’s instructions, all CHAT sites have managed to secure permits for procurement and use of oral morphine. In addition one government referral hospital (Kagera) and Shirati Mennonite Hospital also received permits. ORCI, Tanzania’s only cancer treatment center, agreed to provide training to the recipient hospitals. This “breakthrough” marks the very first time that widely scattered rural health facilities in Tanzania will be be able to procure and use morphine for severe pain management. In early March 2011, the first group of six staff from three ELCT hospitals completed their orientation on oral morphine use. They concluded their training by carrying home their first supply of five liters of oral morphine, which was available for patient use immediately. Here they pose with their trainers and colleagues. Morphine Breakthrough in Rural Tanzania As a result of training and advocacy efforts fueled by the CHAT project, people in rural Tanzania now have access to oral morphine Tanzania remains one of many countries where the use of morphine for treatment of pain is extremely low despite tremendous need driven by both the HIV/AIDS epidemic and a growing incidence of cancer. With a population of over 40 million people, only 750 grams of morphine powder were imported in 2009 and 1647.7 grams in 2010, according to the Tanzania Food and Drug Authority (TFDA). In comparison to other countries, Tanzania’s morphine consumption is negligible. Many factors contributed to poor access of morphine in Tanzania, including the failure of many hospitals to meet TFDA criteria for approval. For years, morphine has only been available in four sites in the country: the Ocean Road Cancer Institute (ORCI), PASADA, Muheza Hospice, and Selian Hospice. All of these centers are urban or semi-urban, leaving Tanzania’s rural population with extremely limited access to this crucial painkiller. Role of FHSSA’s CHAT Project In 2006, FHSSA was awarded a grant from PEPFAR funding through USAID called the Continuum of Care for People Living with HIV/AIDS in Tanzania – CHAT. The implementing partner in Tanzania was the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT). The goal of the project was to incorporate palliative care into ELCT’s hospital 1

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NewsLine - June 2011

Managing a Multigenerational Workforce
A Message From Don: Why a National Center?
We Earned Our Merit Badge in Value (display ad)
Do It Well, Make It Fun
Introducing NHPCO’s Custom Print (display ad)
Honorees from Quality on Display
Experience the ACHC Difference (display ad)
Personalize Your Outreach and Education (display ad)
The Pathways Counseling Center of Pathways Hospice
Voice of NCHPP: Integrating Touch Therapies into the CNA’s Practice
NCHPP CNA Section: Getting Involved
FEHC Data in New AHRQ Report
Michel’s Walkathon to Promote ‘Dying Well’
Become a WHV Partner
Get Hospice-specific Management Training Without Leaving Home
New Report on Importance of Consumer Engagement
Toolkit to Implement Concurrent Care for Children Requirement
Recruiting Problems? HMR (display ad)
Upcoming Educational Offerings
Cover 2
FHSSA Newsletter

NewsLine - June 2011